A Sky Full of Stars
by conillet
Summary: A modern take on Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth's love story. Anne met Frederick during her last year of college and love ensued. Decisions had to be made and their relationship ended. Years later, they are reunited by a twist of fate.
1. Prologue

"He will come back, he will come back," Anne repeated.

She wanted to believe that if, spoken aloud, her words would become true. She looked once again at the window, hoping to see him. Coming back to her.

"Frederick, please," she pled. Anne reached for her phone and called him, for the third time in a row. No answer, again. She left another message.

Maybe he just needed time and space. Time and space to realize that he was overreacting, that things did not have to be that definitive. That their relationship did not have to fall apart.

Maybe, when he felt calmer, they could talk and he could see things clearly.

The rain that had started hours ago did not stop and Anne's tears did not stop until she finally fell asleep, clutching her phone in her hand.

But it never rang.


	2. Chapter 1

"Mmm… Can I get this cup out of your way, or do you want to keep holding it?"

Anne looked up from the notebook she had been reading for the last hour, startled by the waiter's voice. She had not realized the empty coffee cup in her hand as she was focusing on her pharmacology notes.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I did not mean to scare you," the waiter apologized.

"No, it's fine," Anne started and nervously adjusted her glasses, "I was just studying."

"Yeah, I figured. What subject?," he asked, looking over her shoulder, "you have a lot of molecules drawn in there."

"Ahh… mmm… pharmacology."

"Pharmacology? That sounds difficult," he said.

"No, it's not, once you understand the basics," Anne replied.

"I remember my AP Chemistry class, and it was a sovereign pain in the …," the young man said but stopped when he noticed his boss looking at him disapprovingly.

"Oh, shut. Excuse me…," he said and when he left, Anne finally breathed. She did not like talking to strangers, especially good-looking guys who seemed interested in what she was doing.

She was in her favorite coffee shop in Boston as it reminded her of her mother, and she went there frequently. But in all that time, she had not seen this waiter.

Anne sighed and returned to her notes. One more hour and then she should get ready to go home. She had already invested most of her day on getting ready for her summer tutorship.

Anne was not very keen on teaching, but one-on-one interactions or small groups worked better for her. She did not need the extra money, but her desire not to go back to New York and her advisor's pressure to boost her curriculum made her stay in the city and do it.

"Here you go," the waiter's voice sounded again and Anne jumped on her seat.

"Oh, shut, I keep doing that! I'm so sorry," he said.

"It's… okay. Don't worry about it," Anne replied and adjusted her glasses once more.

"I brought you this to apologize for scaring you before," he said, pointing at the new cup.

"I hope you like it. If not, it's totally fine," he added.

"Oh…," she said.

"Also, if you don't want to drink it, I get it. I'm a total stranger and you might think that I put some weird things in your drink… but I didn't, I promise," the waiter rambled on.

"Okay…"

"Okay… well, I'll leave you with your molecules."

He walked away once more before Anne could say anything else. He had looked very cute, he even looked a little blushed while he talked to her.

Perhaps it was not the smartest decision, but Anne took a sip of the drink. It was amazing.

"Oh my god!," she exclaimed, alarming the few people at the coffee shop.

"What happened? Are you all right?," the waiter asked as he turned to her.

"Yes! This is very good!"

"Thank you, it's a special recipe."

Anne frowned an instant and he assured her for the second time that he had used all natural and legal ingredients.

"Okay, if you say that one more time, I'll stop drinking this," Anne said and he laughed. She had made a joke, and it had worked! Mae would be proud of her.

"So, why are you studying right now? Are you taking summer classes?," he asked.

"No, I'm not. I'm tutoring high school students and freshmen."

"Interesting. Where do you go to school?"

"Harvard, I just finished my junior year."

"Nice… I go to UMass... I also finished my junior year."

"And what is your major?"

"Majors, I have two. Computer science and history."

"Two majors? That's... not common," Anne noted.

"Yeah, it's not. And what about you?," he continued.

"Biology and chemistry."

"Oh! Look at us, two over-achievers with double majors," he chuckled.

"Yeah, you could say that," Anne replied, "So, you said that you had taken an AP chemistry class?"

He nodded. "I did. I wanted to do biochemical engineering, but that class just did not work for me. But computer science and math... That just made more sense to me."

"And why history?"

"Well, studying the past is one of my passions. I really like knowing how things have changed and how they had stayed the same," he answered.

At this point, he gave Anne a big smile and her blood rushed to her cheeks. Two adorable dimples have shown in his face.

"What about you? What do you want to do with your degree?," he said.

Anne opened her mouth and then closed without saying a word.

"I guess that's a dreaded question. I also don't like being asked that. Sorry," he added.

"I want to cure cancer," Anne said.

"That's a very important quest."

"Yeah, I know it sounds ambitious, but I want to do what I can to help."

"And I'm sure you will," he said. Anne smiled at him, he reciprocated, and the dimples showed up again.

"Well, I have to go back to work. It was nice talking to you," he added.

"It was nice talking to you too," Anne answered sincerely.

"My name is Frederick, by the way," he finally said and extended his hand to her.

"I'm Anne," she replied and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Anne. See you around."

"Yes."

"Good. Maybe you can teach me something about chemistry," Frederick finished with a wink.

He waived casually and Anne was left alone, wondering what had happened.


	3. Chapter 2

"My god, Anne! Tell me everything, everything!"

Anne had gotten back to the apartment she shared with her best friend and her blush and nervousness had given her away. Mae knew that something had happened.

Anne Elliot had met Mae Rivera during their freshmen orientation and had later discovered that they were going to be roommates. Mae's bubbly personality was a total contrast to Anne's shyness and yet, their friendship had flourished.

"Well, I was going over my notes for tomorrow, and the waiter came by my table and asked if he could take my empty cup away."

"How did he look like?," Mae asked.

"He was... is... tall, blond hair with bright green eyes, kind of cute…," Anne started.

"Oh, cute! I never heard you say that before about anyone," Mae noted.

"I know... But I don't want to overreact to this. Maybe he was just being polite."

"Continue with your story, and I will tell you."

Anne sat on the floor next to her friend and told her everything, giving her all the details.

"Oh, Anne, he obviously was flirting with you."

"Do you think so?"

"Yeah, I do. His free drink approach might a little old school, but it was a nice gesture. Besides, it worked! You talked to him!," Mae exclaimed.

"Well, yeah. It was easy to talk to him," Anne said pensive.

"Now, you have to come back to the coffee shop and talk some more," Mae teased.

"Mae!", Anne yelled.

"What! You should!"

"Well, I'm going back, but not because of him! I'm meeting some of my students there."

"Yay! You see, maybe you'll get something more out of your tutoring than a line in your CV."

Anne shook her head, laughing and made her friend promise that she would not make things bigger and not pressure her. Mae agreed and then left for her night job.

Anne went to her bedroom and fell on the bed, wanting more than ever to be able to talk to her mother.

Walter Elliot had been twenty-one when he had met Helena Sorensen, who was the same age. He called it love at first sight; she referred to it as a hard-fought courtship. Despite hearing their love story, Anne could still not believe that her mother had married his father.

"He won me over," Helena used to say.

They had met in New York, just after Walter had graduated from college. The Elliot's were a prominent family in the city, and the name carried a certain weight of tradition. Walter was set to follow his father's and grandfather's footsteps by going to law school and working at Elliot and Grant Associates.

Helena, on the other hand, had recently moved to New York from Sweden to pursue a career in journalism. She had landed an internship at the New York Post for six months and was hoping to be hired at the newspaper.

Elliot and Helene had coincided at a party and the Scandinavian beauty, with golden hair and dark blue eyes, had enchanted Walter. He had used all the charms known to men that night to get a date with her. Helena was not really looking for a relationship but enjoyed Walter's chase and personality, and eventually accepted to be his girlfriend.

A year later, they were married, and nine months later, Helena gave birth to Elisabeth. Anne had been born five years after that and Mary four years after her middle sister.

Helena had actually gotten a paid position after the internship and her time was split between work and her new family. She also had to fulfill the duties bestowed in her by Walter's family.

All those responsibilities had been very hard for her so she stopped working before Mary was born, and focused on her children. Anne was very young at the time, but as she grew older, she wondered how much that decision had affected her mother and her marriage.

And then, something terrible happened that changed the whole family. Helena was diagnosed with cervical cancer when Anne was sixteen years old and had died shortly after.

Everyone had been terribly sad at the beginning, yet, as time went by, Elisabeth and Walter turned to stone and Mary became indifferent and rebellious. Walter had not known how to deal with his teenage daughter and had sent her to boarding school in Europe.

Elisabeth went to law school like her father and Anne moved to Boston for college, trying to start anew.

Anne had found a new family in Mae, despite her father's prejudices. Mae was the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants and had a partial scholarship to Harvard. However, the money was not enough and Mae had to work part time to support herself.

Anne and Mae had moved to a small apartment in Cambridge after their first year at college. Anne's living arrangement was not up to her father's standards and Walter and Elisabeth stopped visiting her, always making an excuse. Instead, they wanted her to go back home or to their house in the Hamptons on her school breaks, but Anne was tired of their shallowness and also found excuses not to see them.

Anne rolled on her bed and sighed. She was sure that her mother would have hated to see the change in her family.

She tried to clear her mind, as it pained her to think about that, and Frederick's lively eyes suddenly appeared. She was not very good with boys, but something about her interaction with him made her decide to take a chance.


	4. Chapter 3

A couple of days later, Anne met her first students at the Cambridge Public Library. She had arranged her schedule so that she would meet some of her students there and the rest at the coffee shop.

Anne was a little nervous when she entered the coffee shop but still her eyes looked for Frederick. He was not there. A little bit disappointed, she placed her regular order and sat at an empty table.

When Lena, her student, arrived, Anne completely focused on the task at hand and did not think of Frederick.

After Lena left, Anne was ready to get another drink and something to eat when suddenly a cup appeared on the table.

"Hello Anne," Frederick said happily and with a smile on his face.

"Hi… Frederick," she stuttered.

"I was afraid I had scared you away," he said.

"No, you didn't. I like this place way too much," she replied and Frederick's dimples made their appearance.

"I'm glad I didn't succeed then," he added.

They did not have time to talk more as her next student showed up. Frederick gave Anne another smile and returned to work.

Two hours later, Anne was tired and just wanted to go home. She had had enough teaching for one day. She went up to the counter to pay for her food and drinks and saw Frederick again.

"Did you have a good day?," he asked as he took her cash.

"Yes, just a little tiring," she replied and casually observed him. Frederick was just a couple of inches taller than her, which was something she did not encounter often. She was 6' tall and most of the guys were not as tall as her. His blond hair was short and straight. A couple of freckles adorned his nose and his clear green eyes shone. They were very distracting.

"I saw you had a hard time with the red headed guy..." Frederick spoke and Anne snapped out of her thoughts.

"Timothy? Yes. It only took him five explanations to finally understand how to balance chemical equations."

"What can I tell you? Some people just don't have chemistry with equations."

"You're funny," Anne chuckled before realizing what she just had said.

"Oh well, thank you, Anne. My friends seem to think the opposite," Frederick replied, the corner of his mouth turning upwards.

"And why is that?," she added, as casual as possible, but she felt the blood rushing to her cheeks.

"They don't have the right sense of humor," he answered.

Their conversation would have continued but Anne did not want Frederick to get in trouble. She took her change from Frederick's hand and said goodbye.

"Until we meet again," he finished with a smile.

"See you soon," she answered and reciprocated the smile.

* * *

The next couple of times that Anne went to the coffee shop, Frederick was there as well.

He would stop by her table in between students to give her his signature drink, something to eat and they would have a small chat, mostly about the city and their experiences with students and customers.

Finally, one afternoon, as Anne exited the coffee shop, Frederick walked out with her.

"Oh, hey," she said when he joined her in the street, "Did I forget something?"

"No, you didn't. Where are you going?"

"To the library. And you?"

"I finished my shift today," Frederick answered, "I was just wondering... Do you mind I walk with you?"

"No, I'm just going to the T station," she said.

"Great. So, what do you when you're not teaching?," he continued.

"Mmm, not much really. I'm working on something for my advisor, and I read. I love reading," she answered, hoping that she did not sound too boring.

"I like reading too. What was the last book you read?," Frederick asked.

They were talking about books when they arrived to the subway station, and they just continued.

Anne liked how at ease she felt with Frederick, talking about everything and nothing. He offered to carry her books and she accepted. She got off the subway and he went with her.

While they walked, she would turn to see him and noticed that he was looking at her as well. It was very hard not to feel something when his eyes were on her.

"Oh, we're here," Anne noted suddenly, outside the library.

"Yes, we are," Frederick said, looking a little abashed.

"I have to return some books and get others."

"Of course you do."

"I guess I'll see at the cafe…," Anne sighed.

"Yeah…"

"Okay, goodbye then…" she said and went to the door.

"Anne, wait!," Frederick suddenly exclaimed

"Yes?"

"Would you like to go out with me sometime?," he mumbled.

"I don't...," she started to say but then Frederick started talking at the same time.

"No, I'm sorry. I know you're busy with tutoring and stuff."

"Frederick. I didn't understand what you said first," she said.

"Do you want to go out with me?," he asked clearly this time, and Anne could help but to blush and smile.

"Yes," she answered.

"Great," Frederick said, his eyes opened wide, "Are you free tomorrow?"

The next day was Saturday, when Anne usually did her chores and spent time with Mae, and she already had plans with her.

"I... I already have plans with my roommate. But what about Sunday?"

"Perfect. I'll just change my shift... as I did today," he added and Anne's blush intensified.

"Can I see you at the MIT station, 10 am?"

"Yes, I'll be there."

"Perfect. I'll see you soon, Anne."

"Bye, Frederick."

Anne watched him leave and when he spun to see her and smiled. She smiled too and entered the library, filled with excitement.


	5. Chapter 4

As Sunday approached, the excitement turned into nervousness and insecurity.

Helena's beauty had been the topic of conversation whenever she went and Anne resented not looking like her. Anne had inherited the dark complexion of her father, the black hair and tan skin. The only thing she had of her mother was her dark blue eyes.

On the other hand, Elisabeth was the living portrait of her mother. Their resemblance was never ignored and worked against Anne's confidence, who used makeup to cover the acne scars that puberty had left, wore glasses and was not as slim as her mother and her sisters.

In addition, Anne started doubting what Frederick had seen in her. Someone as handsome as him probably had a lot of girls interested in him. Why had he paid attention to her?

It took an hour and a lot of energy but Mae finally convinced her that any man would be lucky to interact with her, and that she was worth more than she thought and that she did not need nobody's approval to know that.

* * *

Anne arrived ten minutes before 10 am to the MIT T station. She was not sure if Frederick wanted to meet her there or outside the station, but she decided to wait in the bridge over the river.

The next train arrived and he steeped out of one of the cars. He walked towards her, as cool as ever, in jeans and a t-shirt, and two coffee cups in a small cardboard tray. Anne felt the blood rushed to her cheeks and adjusted her glasses. That helped when she was nervous.

"Good morning," he said.

"Good morning, how are you?," she greeted.

"I'm very good," he replied, "Shall we go?"

Anne looked down and adjusted her glasses.

"Yes," she answered. Frederick smiled and escorted her to the exit.

"Mmm, where are we going?", she asked when they were outside in the street.

"You'll see soon enough."

He asked if she had fun with her roommate the day before, and Anne only gave him a general answer. He did not need to know about the catwalk she had done to decide what to wear that day. And the therapy.

"Are we going to the river?," Anne asked as she recognized the way.

"Hmm, yeah. Have you ever kayak here?," he answered at the same time that the water came into view and the kayaks tent was in front of them.

"No."

"I have done this before, and it's easy, they give you life jackets and so it's pretty safe," once again he had started rambling and Anne chuckled.

"It's fine. I have seen them before and always wanted to try them," she said.

"Oh, good," he sighed, "I thought you might like it and the weather is fine."

They got to the tent, where a girl greeted them and explained how the rental worked. She gave them the liability forms and a page with instructions about how to deal with the kayak.

Anne and Frederick sat down in the sidewalk and started reading the pages. Anne was very aware of how close they were, and was very careful not to bump her head against his, given that they had almost the same height.

There was a short and funny quiz based on the guidelines, and Frederick started making jokes about it. Anne could not help to laugh, and liked him a little more.

"I think we're done," he said, "are you ready?"

"Yes," she replied, ready to get up when she found Frederick's hand in front of her. She grabbed her coffee cup and then took his hand.

"Thanks,"

"You're welcome."

His hand was warm, and for an instant she felt a small caress from him, and that sensation lingered even when he let go.

They returned the papers and a young man gave them the life jackets and some last minute instructions.

Anne took the front seat and Frederick sat behind her.

"Okay, let's do it," she said and heard him laughing.

"Let's try to row at the same time," he suggested.

"I'll do my best, but I guess this is not the best moment to mention that I was never good at sports."

"And now you decide to tell me that!"

It took them a while to get used to rowing but they got out of the harbor safely and more easily than Anne had expected. They advanced, wary of the duck boats and then went to a secluded area of the river, close to one of the paths that went along it.

"Are you enjoying this?," Frederick asked.

"Yes, I like this perspective. And the noise of the city is kind of gone."

"Yes, it is. Hey, look to your right!," he exclaimed and Anne saw a group of ducklings swimming behind their mother.

"That's so cute."

They let the ducklings passed and then moved to the shade underneath one tree.

"So, Anne, where are you from?," he asked behind her. Despite all they had previously talked, hey had missed some of the obvious.

"New York, and you?"

"The state or the city?"

"The city."

"An actual New Yorker, eh?"

"Yes," she answered, "Why do you sound so surprised?"

"No one is actually from New York."

"Well, I was born and raised in the city."

"And yet you are a very nice person."

"Hey! You shouldn't believe all what's said about the city and its people."

"I don't, but I've been there. Very few people were actually born in the city, and not everybody was very kind."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for that. You sure are making it up for the rest of the population."

"Oh, thanks… I guess," she said a little uncertain.

"I'm just teasing you," he said.

"I know," she answered. She was starting to like his sense of humor.

"By the way, I'm from Cape Cod," he added.

"Really?"

"Yes, you don't have to sound so surprised."

"I… no… It's very famous around here but I've never there. I heard it's very pretty," Anne explained.

"It is."

"Do you go back often? Is your family still there?"

"No. My sister lives in Chicago now."

"What about your parents?," she innocently asked and did not see the change in his face.

"My parents died a few years ago," he said flatly.

"Oh my god! I'm so, so sorry," Anne exclaimed, and for the second time, she tried to turn to face him. "I didn't mean to pry."

"It's okay, Anne, don't worry," Frederick responded and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think we should row back. Are you ready?"

Anne nodded, afraid that she had ruined their date.

They returned safely to the starting point, with Frederick making jokes again along the way. He helped her out of the kayak, and Anne once more, let go reluctantly of his hand.

"I hoped you enjoyed this," he said.

"Yeah, I did," she answered, "it was a very good idea. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Do you like to walk by the river?," he suggested.

"Okay," Anne replied. She looked at him discreetly, and saw the exact moment when his mouth curled into a smile and his eyes fixed on her. They walked around the block and entered the path that went along the river.

"So, do you have any siblings?," Frederick asked.

"Two sisters. I'm the dreaded middle child."

"Are they still in school?"

"Only my little sister. She's in high school."

"Back in New York, I guess."

"No, actually. She's in boarding school... in Switzerland."

"Oh, wow! You must miss her a lot."

"I do. Sometimes I wish my dad hadn't sent her away."

Frederick then suspected that Anne's family was probably rich. Not anyone could pay a school in Europe, and Harvard, for that matter.

"How long has she been abroad?"

"Three years."

"And how often do you see her?"

"She usually comes home during the summer and for the holidays, but I don't think she's coming this time. She said she rather travel there."

Given her tone of voice, Frederick guessed that there was more to that, but did not pry.

"What about your older sister?"

"She's a lawyer and works with my father in New York."

"I see."

Anne guessed his next question, and since she did not want to talk about her mother, which would lead to his parents, she completely changed the subject and asked him about his plans for the summer. His sister wanted to see him, but since he was taking a summer class and just started working at the café, he could not take time off.

"I want to finish my degree this fall," he explained, "I don't think I can afford another semester."

"Wow, so are you ready to start writing your thesis?"

"Kind of, my advisor says that there are still some things to be figured out, but I really want to be done with school so I can move on."

"Do you know what are you doing afterwards?," Anne asked. He seemed very eager to finish his education.

"Well, my best friend and I have this idea about an Internet company and we might want to move to California."

"California? That's...," she wanted to say far but she said "big" instead.

"Yeah, sometimes it's better to be sorry than be safe, don't you think?," Frederick finished.

Anne did not really know what to answer. Everything she had done had been clearly planned. She just nodded and kept walking by Frederick's side.

"Are you hungry yet? We can have lunch right now. That is, if you want to."

"Yes, why wouldn't I?"

"No reason in particular," he said and smiled, "Come on, I hope you'll like my choice."

* * *

And she did. Time flew when she was with him, and could not remember the last time she had enjoyed that much.

Without realizing, it had become late and they were close to a T station.

"Frederick, thank you for today. I really enjoyed it," Anne said.

"Me too. I'm glad you agreed to this date," he replied and she blushed.

"I think I'll head home now, it's late," she noted.

"Of course, but... do you mind if I take you home? Or at least walk you closer?", he asked, a little hesitant, "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Anne smiled and took a step closer to him.

"I appreciate your offer, but I'm just two stations away. Thank you."

He shifted a little closer, with his hands in his pockets.

"So... can I see you again?," he asked.

"Yes, I'll be at the cafe tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah... well... that's not what I meant, but okay."

"I know what you meant, Frederick, I was just teasing," Anne said smiling, and all his fears flew through the window.

"I'd like to go on another date with you", Anne said. She was nervous to say her thoughts out aloud, but she did not want to miss the opportunity.

"In that case, I'll see you Monday. Good night, Anne," he answered, with a smile.

"Good night, Frederick," Anne smiled too and entered the T station.


	6. Chapter 5

Anne and Frederick saw each other at the cafe on Monday, went on a second date two days later, met again at the café and quickly became inseparable.

Anne did not realize at first but Frederick had slowly started to tear down her walls. They could talk about anything and she felt safe to truly be herself with him. He gained her trust and, eventually, her love.

* * *

At the end of their second date, Frederick had wanted to kiss Anne good-night but she surprised him by kissing him in the cheek.

On their third date, Anne finally let him walk her home. On their way, he had taken her hand and she had not let go. When they arrived to her building, he hoped he would have the chance to fulfill his wish. However, Frederick noticed that Anne was nervous and decided to wait until she was ready.

The next time they were together, after one of Anne's tutoring session, they went to the Boston Common. They found a spot underneath a tree and sat there, just enjoying each other's company.

At some point, as the sky turned orange, Frederick pulled Anne's hand to him.

"Anne, can I ask you something?," he said.

"Of course. What is it?"

"I...," Frederick started.

"I wish I were more talented with words, but I'm not," he sighed and Anne cocked her head to one side, a little intrigued.

"What I want to say is that I really, really like you, and I want to be your boyfriend," he stated, looking into her eyes.

Anne flushed instantly and could not help but smile.

"You do?," she shakily asked.

"Yes, I do. I think I liked you since the first time I saw you at the café," Frederick replied and squeezed her hand affectionately.

Anne did not know if it was possible to blush even more, yet her face was burning. She breathed deeply and then looked Frederick in the eye.

"I also really, really like you," she finally responded, shifting a little closer to him.

Frederick was so relieved to hear her words.

"I'll take that as yes?"

"Yes."

Slowly, Frederick leaned and kissed Anne softly on the lips. The gesture was sweet and tender, but then Anne tried to show him how much she liked him, and the kiss grew in intensity. However, her glasses got in the way, smashing her face, and they separated, giggling.

That was the beginning of their relationship.

* * *

After that day, Anne told him what had happened to Helena, and how her death had changed her entire family.

Frederick related to her circumstances as his life had been equally shaken by the death of his parents.

They had died in a ferry accident in Cape Cod when he was twelve years old. His sister, Sophia, who was twenty at that time, had to put a hold on her Education degree to take care of his brother.

Frederick parents' marriage had not exactly been welcomed by his grandparents. His mother, Miranda Wiles, was eighteen and pregnant with Sophia when she had married Julian Wentworth. Despite the adversities, Miranda and Julian had build a life at Cape Cod for them and their children.

When they died, Sophia and Frederick's grandparents had tried to reconnect with them, but it had been difficult for all to establish a relationship after all the years of separation.

The Wentworth siblings adapted to their situation and were able to move on with time. When Frederick graduated from high school and got accepted into UMass, Sophia had already finished her degree and had found a job in Chicago.

Even though they were far from each other, Frederick and Sophia stayed very close to each other and talked very often. Anne wished she had that type of relationship with her sisters, but they were so different from each other.

Since she could not share with her family how happy she was with Frederick, Anne shared it with Mae. As her best friend, Mae met Frederick, almost interrogated him, and finally made him promise to look after Anne.

Anne also met Frederick's best friend and one of his roommates, Jonathan Harville. Jonathan very quickly grew to like Anne. She was funny and intelligent, and so, according to him, she was the perfect match to his friend.

Frederick and Anne spent most of their free time together, when they were not working or studying. They would also go out with their extended group of friends and have more fun than Anne would have imagined. With Frederick by her side, everything was easy.

* * *

In one of the conversations they had had, Anne shared with Frederick that he was the first boyfriend she ever had. Frederick confessed the same thing. Even though they were about to turn twenty-one, their lives had been different from most of people their age.

Anne had had some platonic crushes before him, but after the death of her mother, she had focused on school and her goal to cure cancer. On the other hand, Frederick had dated some girls in high school, but none of them had become his girlfriend.

For those reasons, they had decided to take things slowly, to their own pace, but their feelings for each other progressed rather quickly.

Sometimes, at the beginning of their relationship, Anne would still doubt why Frederick had chosen her. She would notice how other girls looked at him since he was very hard to ignore. Yet, she also observed that he only had eyes for her. And he demonstrated his affection every minute he was with her.

So, when Frederick said "I love you", she did not hesitate to say it back instantly, meaning it with all her heart.

And, when they went to Cape Cod together to celebrate their birthdays, which happened to be on the same day in July, Anne finally convinced herself that she was enough to be loved by Frederick, let go of all her fears and allowed herself to live that love with Frederick for the first time.

Years later, both Frederick and Anne would think of that summer, and remembered it as the best time of their lives.


	7. Chapter 6

As Fall and the beginning of the school year approached, Anne dreaded the changes that would come as well as the decisions that needed to be taken.

She did not want to think about Frederick's plan to move to California with Jonathan. She did not want to think that he would live on the other side of the country.

But then, she might end up on the other side of the Atlantic.

Frederick already knew that Anne was working on a project for her undergraduate advisor. However, Anne had slightly touched on its consequences. Her advisor, Dr. Russell, saw great potential in her student and had pushed her to apply for a very competitive PhD fellowship at the Sanger Institute in England. If Anne obtained the fellowship, it would mean that she would spend at least the next four years in that country.

Before Frederick had arrived into her life, Anne knew she was going to apply. Now, she was not sure anymore. She had talked about that with Mae, looking for advice. Her friend recommended finding other options in the US, particularly in the West Coast. Apart from the fact that Frederick would be in California, Mae thought it would be wise to have more options.

When the subject came up between Anne and Frederick, he said he would support her whatever she decided to do. The fellowship was certainly a great opportunity for Anne, and yet, he wished she would consider more seriously going to California with him.

* * *

Time moved forward. Classes and work kept them busy, yet their relationship grew stronger.

There was some talk about going to Chicago to meet Sophia before Frederick's graduation, but Anne had not mentioned meeting her family anytime soon. She knew they would look down on her boyfriend as they did on her best friend.

However, when Frederick saw the invitation to the Elliot's annual cancer gala, she was conflicted.

A year after the death of his wife, Walter had organized a fundraiser to support the fight against cancer and it had become an annual event. Anne completely supported his father's endeavor, despite the fact that the gala sometimes resembled more a parade of the influential and wealthy people of New York. The only good thing about the event was that the collected money always arrived to the right hands as she and Elisabeth handled that.

"I'd love if you came with me, but I've told you how they are, and I don't want you to end up hating my family, or me," Anne explained to him.

"First of all, I could never hate you, I love you," Frederick replied, "secondly, you've told me about Elisabeth and your father, and I don't care about them. I want to be with you, especially if this event means a lot to you."

Anne was moved by his answer and gave him a kiss.

"It is important to me, but..," she started.

"But?," Frederick said, a little annoyed. He hated when Anne's family upset her that much.

Anne sighed and continued, "I want you to be there, so we're going to the gala. But the moment they say something rude or act rude, we leave."

"Ok, I'm good with that," Frederick smiled and sealed the deal with a kiss.

* * *

The day of the gala arrived, and Anne and Frederick drove together to New York. Walter had given his daughter a car when she entered Harvard, but Anne chose to use public transportation to move around Boston and Cambridge.

When they arrived to the city, they made a short stop at Anne's childhood house to change and get ready. Elisabeth and Walter were out, probably busy overseeing the last details of the event, so they were received by the house keeper. Mrs. Smith had been in charge of the house since Elisabeth had been born, and so, she knew Anne pretty well and was pleasantly surprised to see her with a young, handsome boy that made her smile.

Anne showed the house to Frederick, and he was amazed by how different it was from his family home. The building was beautiful, with the typical New York style but it was cold. There were very few warm touches, things that showed that a family had lived there.

But Anne's room was different. Although the room was all white, the walls were full of photographs of her, her family and landscapes. Anne has once told him that Helena was an amateur photographer and documented almost every minute of her children.

While Anne changed in her bathroom, she explained that Walter had removed all the stuff that reminded him of Helena. That was why the house looked the way it did. Since her room was her sanctuary in those hard times, Anne had refused to take down the photographs.

"Mhmm," she said as she opened the bathroom's door, "Can you help me with the zipper?"

Frederick turned to her and was astonished to see her in off the shoulder dress, the same color of her eyes.

"Wow, Anne! Wow!," Frederick exclaimed, "You look beautiful!"

"Thank you," she replied, satisfied with herself. Every year, for the gala, Elisabeth would send her designer dresses to choose. Anne was not particularly interested in fashion, except this time. This time, she cared.

"You are beautiful all the time, but this color looks really good on you," Frederick added at the same time that he approached her and took his sweet time to zip her up.

When he finally finished, Anne was all hot and flustered.

"How much time do we have before the party?," he asked softly in her ear.

Anne chuckled and faced him, "Not as much as we'd want. Or need."

Frederick growled with that mischievous look in his eyes, letting Anne know exactly what he wanted to do.

"In that case, I should change," he said a little defeated and grabbed his suit and walked into the bathroom.

Before leaving Boston, Mae had braided Anne's hair and arranged them around her head as a crown. Anne just put on some makeup and was ready when Frederick came out. He looked so sharp in his black suit, white shirt and a dark blue tie.

"Look, my tie matches your dress," he noted, "Don't tell me it was all Mae's plan."

"Well, you know her. It was not a coincidence that she suggested that color to you," Anne answered.

"I'll thank her when we come back. I think we look quite good together," Frederick said, embracing her.

"I agree," she replied and kissed him lightly on the lips, "Thanks for doing this for me."

"Anytime, let's go."

* * *

They said goodbye to Mrs. Smith and arrived to the venue exactly at the time on the invitation.

"Is that a pink carpet?," Frederick asked after they left the car with the valet.

"Yes, it was Elisabeth's idea. She thought it was very clever," Anne explained, "So, are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. Come on."

They walked together the pink carpet and were stopped two times to be photographed. Frederick gracefully placed his hand on her waist and smiled.

"Anne, just in time!," Elisabeth yelled the moment she saw her sister. She looked at her, head to toe, appreciating the choice of dress and silently wishing that her sister would get rid of her glasses. And then, she realized that her little sister was not alone.

"Hi, Lis," Anne replied and quickly hugged her sister.

"Mmm, Lis, this is my boyf...," she started when she heard his father behind her.

"Anne, perfect! Come on, they need a picture of the whole family."

Without even noticing Frederick, Walter took his daughter's hand and pulled her away.

It took twenty minutes for the Elliot family to be released from the photoshoot and half an hour before Anne could breath. Walter had taken her to greet some of the VIP guests and donors.

"So, Anne, who is the boy?," Elisabeth finally asked, before letting her sister go to the reception.

"Boy? What boy?", Walter said surprised.

"Anne came here with a boy," Lis stated.

"He's not a boy, and he's my boyfriend," Anne answered defensively.

"Boyfriend?! I thought you were too busy for that," Elisabeth cried out.

"What's his name? Does he attend Harvard too? Do we know his family?," Walter inquired.

"His name is Frederick Wentworth and he goes to UMass. And no, we don't know his family."

"No relation to the Wentworth Institute of Technology?"

"No."

Walter immediately frowned and looked disappointed.

"Well, at least he's handsome," Elisabeth noted.

"He's more than that. You'll realize that when you meet him," Anne almost snapped.

"There's no time for that tonight," Walter said, "We have to be with our guests. Come on."

* * *

Finally, an hour after they arrived, Anne found Frederick at their table, chatting with an older couple.

"Frederick, I'm so sorry..," she said out of breath. She had almost run to escape her family and find her boyfriend.

"Anne, meet Mr. and Mrs. Gladstein," Frederick said, cutting her apology.

Anne turned to the guest and recognized them. She greeted them and made an excuse to talk to Frederick alone. They left the table and went to the nearest balcony.

"I'm so sorry. My dad dragged me to talk with these people, and I couldn't leave, and..." Anne started to explain.

"Hey, it's okay. I was actually having a nice time," Frederick replied.

"Really? Great!", she exclaimed.

"They were telling me about their travels, and about your father, and your mother too. Apparently they were good friends of your mom. "

"Yes, they were."

"All they said was good, I promise you."

"Okay. I'm sorry for leaving you but I'll promise it won't happen again. I'll stay with you."

"Anne, would you ever stop worrying?"

"Have we met?", Anne said a little shaky, trying to make a joke.

"Yes, rather up close and personal, I dare say," Frederick answered and wrapped his arms around her.

Anne could not help it and she leaned forward for a reassuring kiss.

"I'll stop worrying," she stated, "I promise."

"Good. Let's enjoy this party then."

* * *

And they did.

At some point after dinner was served, Frederick met Walter and Lis. They were polite but did not make conversation and basically ignored them for the rest of the evening.

Anne fulfilled her promise and did not make a fuss. She knew her family and was grateful that Frederick was not hurt by their actions.

They ate and danced a lot, something that Anne had not done in a long time, and had a very good time.

* * *

By the time Thanksgiving arrived, Anne was stressing out. Again.

Dr. Russell wanted to read a finished application for the Sanger fellowship, as well for the other West Coast schools that Anne was going to apply to. On top of that, she had planned to spend that holiday with Frederick and meet Sophia in Chicago, and was also worried about finishing her work on time. And on top of that, she knew that Frederick wanted to talk about their future.

She worked as hard as she could and was able to finish all her drafts and sent them to Dr. Russell to be revised before the holiday. Unfortunately, Sophia got sick with the flu so they had to cancel their trip and stayed in Boston.

And then the hardest part came, the big talk.

Frederick's graduation was less than a month away and he had to decide what to do afterwards. Jonathan was definitely moving to California in January and expected Frederick to follow him. However, Frederick did not want to leave Anne and had thought of spending one more semester in Boston.

Anne was surprised to hear that and appreciated his consideration.

"I just don't want to have long-distance relationship. I don't think it will work for me," he explained. Deep inside, he knew that he felt that way because of the death of his parents. He did not want to feel abandoned.

"Fair enough," she said, "but what about the company and Jonathan?"

"We had talked about it, and it won't be that bad if I stayed here. I can still work from here. All I need is my computer."

"So, you don't want to have a long-distance relationship with me, but you're willing to have one with Jonathan..."

"Pretty much..."

"But you don't think that you are putting in jeopardy your future, your career?"

"I think... I care more about what happens to us if we are apart," Frederick stated.

"Oh...," it was all Anne could say at the moment. She was touched by his words and feelings, but at the same times, she felt some pressure.

"Does this mean that you expect me not to apply for the Sanger Institute?," she asked.

"No, of course not. I just want you to seriously consider other options, and, well... me."

"Oh, Frederick, I do, but..."

"I know it's too much to ask, and that my next words are going to sound very cliché, but I never thought I would feel this way, and I don't want to lose you."

Anne wanted to say something but her mind was in turmoil.

"You don't have to make a decision right now. Just think about it."

She did think about it, and by the time of his graduation, Anne had made a decision.

* * *

It turned out that Sophia loved Anne, and Anne loved Sophia. She was witty, smart and loved her brother.

They met each other at Frederick's graduation and both of them stood up when Frederick walked up the stage to get his diploma. They had lunch afterwards to celebrate and then went to a party organized by his friends.

Sophia could not stay longer because she had to get back to work but before she left, she commended Frederick in finding such a special girl like Anne.

"I knew she'll love you but not that much," Frederick said when they dropped his sister at the airport and they were back in his apartment.

"I liked her a lot too. She's very funny."

"I'm glad you guys liked each other. My life will be easier."

Anne laughed and took his hand.

"So, Frederick, I made a decision."

"Oh, ok. Tell me."

"I'm very much in love with you."

"Me too."

"I know. So, I decided that if I have to choose between you and England, I'll choose you."

"Will you?!"

"Yes, I want to be with you as well. And I can do interesting research at Stanford or Berkeley. That's if I get accepted."

"You will, you will," he stated and hugged her, "Anne, seriously, thank you for doing this. I promise you everything would work out. You'll see."

* * *

They both left with high hopes for the future, but things changed again once they were back in Boston after the holidays.

Mary had come back from Europe and her sister wanted to spend time with her in New York, and Frederick had gone to Chicago.

Jonathan had not quite liked the idea of his partner staying in Boston, yet he agreed that he would do the ground job in California, while Frederick continued to work on their website and algorithm and would keep in communication with the contacts they had made in Boston. If needed, Frederick would fly to Palo Alto.

However, Mae did not return to school after the break. She called her roommate and told that her mother had suddenly gotten very sick and she had to take care of her and younger siblings.

Anne wanted to help but there was really nothing she could do, according to Mae. She had informed the agency that had given her the scholarship to Harvard about the situation, and hoped she did not have to drop out. The situation was that serious. The only thing that Anne could offer was to send all of Mae's belongings to her house in New York.

"Hey, look at the bright side. Wentworth can move in you now," Mae said, trying to lift up the mood.

"Wait, what?," Anne exclaimed.

"You guys are perfect for each other, almost too perfect. Besides, he wants to move out of his apartment anyway. You should live together."

"I hadn't thought of that... Isn't too soon for that?"

"Well, you'll be the one to know. Just think about it."

Anne thought about that possibility. If they were aiming for the long run, moving together to California, it made sense that they tried to live together now. And she realized she was more than willing to.

She asked her boyfriend to see her by the Charles River and asked him if he wanted to move in with her. After asking her if she was sure for about a thousand times, he lifted her in his arms and kissed her soundly.

Frederick had secretly been thinking about that but did not want to impose himself or distract her from her routine, which he knew was very important to her. He was sad to hear the news about Mae, and at the same time, very happy when he heard Anne's offer.

In almost no time, he packed his things, left his apartment and moved in with Anne.

* * *

The transition was a little awkward at first, just as the onset of their relationship, but very quickly, they got used to go to bed together and wake up together, and everything that came in between.

Anne refrained to tell anyone in her family than her boyfriend was now living with her. Both Elisabeth and Walter had not mentioned Frederick at all during the holidays. It was as if they did not remember him. So she did not bother to even mention the subject.

All was going great, until Anne started to receive the replies from the graduate programs.


	8. Chapter 7

_Say something, I'm giving up on you_

 _I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you_

 _Anywhere I would've followed you_

 _Say something, I'm giving up on you_

* * *

In the expanse of the same week, Anne learnt that she had been accepted to Darthmouth, Stanford and had won the Sanger Fellowship.

Her first instinct was to tell Frederick, yet she decided not to. She knew what he expected her to do, what she had promised she would do if she had to choose.

After she had said she would pick him over the fellowship, she was certain that she would not get it. It had always been a long shot.

But then, her mindset started to change. Dr. Russell had been constantly inquiring about graduate school and her future plans. She knew that Anne was a very smart girl and that she would succeed in any program she joined. But the fellowship at the Sanger was the best option by far, Dr. Russell was certain, and her best chance to start building a career in science.

Her advisor's insisting comments made Anne wondered if her love life was more important than her dream of a scientific career. All her previous dreams and ambitions had seemed to take a second place once Frederick had arrived into her life.

Were her current priorities in the right place?

* * *

Frederick started to note a change in Anne. She was reserved, but she was quieter than before, and definitely more anxious. He knew that the deadline to accept offers was coming closer, and was wondering why she had not said anything. Maybe he had put too much pressure on her by staying in Boston.

One of the many things he had learnt about Anne was that it took some time for her to say things, even to him. She would think and think until she was ready to share her thoughts.

Finally, one afternoon, after he returned from a shift at the coffee shop, he found her standing by the window, pensive. Before he had left for work, he had known that something was off when she turned down his invitation for coffee.

"Anne, would you tell me what's wrong?," he asked.

She turned abruptly as she had not heard him come in. She had had a very important talk with her advisor in the morning and knew her life was about to change.

"I... I have some news," she said.

"Bad news?"

"No... Well... I don't know."

"That doesn't make any sense," he replied.

"Would you sit down? I'll explain everything," she answered.

"Sure...," he replied and sat on the couch. Outside, it started to rain.

"I talked today with Dr. Russell about grad school."

"Oh, so you have heard from them?"

"Yes, I have."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because... Because they were a lot of things I have to consider."

"Okay, you can tell me now."

"I got accepted into Stanford, Darthmouth and... and I also got the Sanger Fellowship."

"Oh, Anne! That's great! Congratulations!," he moved quickly to hug her. Anne always welcomed his embraces but she stiffened this time.

"Thanks. It is good... Except when it came to choosing..."

"Choosing? I thought you had chosen already?," Frederick said, puzzled.

"I did, but I think that there were things that I... we haven't considered, and Dr. Russell helped me realize that."

"What things exactly?"

"We're young but you have already started working towards your dream career, and I might miss my best start if I go to California."

"If you go with me," Frederick added, harshly.

"Don't say it like that. We can still be together. We can talk all the time, I can come and visit you," Anne replied.

"We'd just not be in the same place. Not even the same continent."

"I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but we can make it work."

"Wait a minute. Are you telling me that you are definitely going to England?"

"Yeah, yes, I guess I am."

"You have to be kidding me! You just took that decision and even didn't bother to discuss it with me! I know you need your time and space to be open with everybody, including me, but I thought we were on the same page about our relationship," Frederick yelled.

"I'm so sorry, but this is the best option for me, for my career. Please understand me," Anne apologized.

"What about all I have sacrificed for you?! My start-up, my friendship with Jonathan?! I almost lose my partner over that decision."

"Don't use that against me! I never asked you to stay in Boston! I'm so grateful you did it, but I was ready to have a long distance relationship," Anne snapped.

"Ok, tell me how this is going to work? Are we going to see each other every six months? Every year? Until you graduate?"

"No, of course not. We will be in touch, use the technology we have now. I don't know how often I'll able to travel back, but I'll try to come as often as possible. You can visit me too."

"Yeah, right, with what money? You have that luxury, I don't."

"Frederick, please...", Anne was in tears at this point of their argument.

Both stayed silent for while, and the sound of the rain filled up the room.

"Frederick, I love you so much, and your love has taught me to love myself. I have to do this for myself, for my future, for the science I want to do. If I don't take this opportunity, I'll regret it."

"So you will jeopardize what we have right now..."

"Things will be different, it's obvious. Yet, I'm sure we'll make it work."

"Anne, I love you too. But you know how I feel about having miles and miles between us. And it's not just the distance, it's everything. Everything we will live when we're apart. I don't want that."

Frederick made a move to the door and Anne immediately followed him and grabbed his hand.

"Please, don't leave."

"Your mind is made up. Why should I stay?"

"Don't give up on us, please."

"Anne, you know where I stand. I won't give you an ultimatum. I'll just make things easier for you."

He tightened his hand around her and said, "Good luck in England. Good bye, Anne Elliot."

And he was gone.

* * *

"He will come back, he will come back," Anne said aloud. She believed that if, spoken aloud, her words would become true. She looked once again at the window, hoping to see him. See him coming back to her.

"Frederick, please," she thought. Anne reached for her phone and called him, for the third time in a row. No answer, again. She left another message.

Maybe he just needed time and space. Time and space to realize that he was overreacting, that things did not have to be that definitive. Their relationship did not have to fall apart.

Maybe, when he felt calmer, they could talk and he could see things clearly.

The rain that had started hours ago did not stop. And Anne's tears did not stop until she finally fell asleep, clutching her phone in her hand.

But it never rang.

* * *

Anne spent the next day curled on her bed. She had tried to call Frederick again and again. He never answered.

She went to his old apartment looking for him, and his ex-roommates gave her the cold shoulder. She looked in all his favorite places, to his work, but she was not successful in finding him.

Anne got the worst surprise when she returned home and noticed that all his things were gone. And no note from him. Absolutely nothing.

She thought she had cried all her tears when her mother had died, but she was wrong.


	9. Chapter 8

_And the hardest part_

 _Was letting go, not taking part_

 _Was the hardest part_

 _And the hardest part_

 _Was letting go, not taking part_

 _You really broke my heart_

* * *

 _Eight years later_

Anne woke up before her alarm, as always, wishing she was able to sleep more, as always. She could have stayed in bed a little bit longer if it wasn't for Mary's lunch invitation.

"Marie," she corrected herself.

Ever since she had come back from Switzerland, her little sister had been insisted in being called like that.

Anne sighed and got off bed. Her week at the hospital had been hard, and she was looking forward to a drama-free weekend. But there was always drama with Marie.

She took a quick shower and ate breakfast before heading to the yoga studio. She usually went there three times a week, after work and Saturday afternoon. Anne's therapist had suggested it after his departure and it turned out to be the one thing that made her not to think of him.

* * *

The months after his departure had been hell, but she made it through. Mostly alone, but also with the help of the therapist she had seen when her mother had died. Mae was still in New York so Anne had had to managed with the aftermath by herself.

She knew she needed closure, the therapist had said so as well. However, she gave up looking for him after many unanswered calls, texts and emails; and she was too proud to call Jonathan to ask if he had travelled to California.

Despite all the sadness that still resided in her heart, Anne decided that she needed to move on with her life and bear the consequences of her decision.

She graduated from Harvard with the highest honors, spent the summer at the Hamptons with Elisabeth and Walter, who never mentioned a word about the boy who had been to the gala, and then finally moved to Cambridge, England, hoping to start anew.

But the feeling of hopelessness never truly went away.

* * *

Cambridge was not at all what she had expected.

People at the Sanger Institute were nice, but she never truly made friends. She would spend some time with her lab mates and with the other fellows, yet never reached the level of confidence and familiarity she had had with Mae. The city was beautiful but the constant change in the weather affected her mood. So, for the next four years, she buried herself on her research.

* * *

Anne was supposed to get a post doc after her PhD, but she decided not to do it, despite the encouragement of the doctoral committee.

She had realized that it would take time for cancer research to have an impact in the life of the patients and the field was filled with scientists with the same goals as her. She wanted to be more involved with people so she decided to get a masters in Genetic Counseling.

She was accepted to the masters in the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine and returned to New York for two years, during which she lived home again.

Walter had resigned himself to have a scientific daughter, who now, instead of working on a research institute and be famous, as he hoped, would be working in a hospital. Of all the options of employment, Anne had preferred to go back to Boston and work at the Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Yes, it had been hard at the beginning, being back to where it had all began and ended. Despite all, she loved the city and she relished in the good memories.

Even if she felt lonely sometimes, Anne enjoyed her job, felt she was helping people, and was content with her life.

* * *

A year after starting at Brigham's, Mary ("Marie") called and announced she was moving to Boston, because her husband was starting the American branch of his company.

During her time in England, Anne had seen her often and became aware of all the changes in her sister after all the time she had been far from family. Not all was bad, but she wished Marie would have more aspirations than to become a housewife. In particular a rich housewife.

After boarding school, Marie had stayed in Switzerland for college and had met her future husband, Charles Buhari. He was the son of a Nigerian entrepreneur and was bound to expand his father's investment company to America. They had gotten married right after college and welcomed their first son, Henri, soon after that.

The whole Elliot family had been taken aback by the turn of events but welcomed the new additions to the family. Especially with the money and status they came with.

It looked like Marie had everything she wanted. At twenty-four, she was married, had a beautiful (and spoiled) three-year old and had a great house in the suburbs of Boston.

Given the proximity, Anne saw more of her sister, maybe too much. She had become the emergency nanny, helper, doctor. Every time she did not feel well or saw something strange in her son, Marie would call her sister for help. Anne had lost count how many times she had explained she was a doctor, but not a physician. And yet, she was there whenever her sister called.

* * *

Anne pulled up at Marie's house, and as soon as she knocked on the door, she was welcomed by Charles.

"Oh, Anne! Thank God you're here! Maybe you can calm your sister," he said and let her in the house.

"What happened?," she asked and walked towards the kitchen where she had just seen her sister go.

"You know my sisters are coming to lunch, right?"

"Yes. Marie told me they were in town."

"Well, it's not just them. I just found out that my mother travelled as well, and you know how Marie gets with her."

"Yes, I know," Anne replied. She had only seen Charles' mother twice and that had been enough that the woman did not like anything less than perfect. Anne loved Charles, but could not figure out how his occasional cluelessness came to be with the mother he had.

She looked down at her outfit. If she knew that Rose was coming, she would have chosen better clothes than the purple pants, beige oversized sweater and the knee high boots she was wearing. Those would have to do.

"So, Marie is freaking out, because we don't have any help today and she doesn't think she can attend six people properly," Charles continued.

"Six people?," Anne counted in the head and was one person short.

"Oh, yeah. I invited a friend, before I knew about my mother. He's a very nice man, you know? And single. Maybe you'll like him," he added playfully.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't play matchmaking with me, Charlie. I have enough with the people at work."

"Okay, okay. I was just making a suggestion."

A loud sound came from the kitchen and Anne rolled her eyes.

"I'll go help my sister," she said.

"Thank you. I'll go find Henri and make sure he's presentable," he added with a quick hug to his siter-in-law.

* * *

In the kitchen, Marie was opening and closing cabinets without taking anything. Despite all her knowledge about genetics, Anne was always amazed by how different her sisters were. One was blonde and pale, one dark-haired and tanned, while the younger was a brunette with curled hair and hazel eyes.

"Hello Marie," Anne greeted, causing her sister to immediately turn around.

"Oh, thank God you're here early," Marie exclaimed and immediately hugged her.

"No problem, Charlie already told me everything. How can I help you?"

"I'm looking for the saucer she gave me in the bridal shower and I can't find it."

"We'll find it, don't worry."

While Anne was inspecting the cabinets, Marie kept complaining about how there was nobody to help her today, how her mother-in-law had arrived unannounced, that Henri kept going outside and getting dirt and snow on his clothes, and that Charles had also invited a friend visiting from California at the last minute.

Eventually, Anne found the saucer, arranged the table and went to the nearest store to get more wine and drinks. She took her nephew so that he would not get dirty again and his parents could get ready for their guests.

She did not know how responsible she looked, picking up three bottles of wine and a six-pack of beer with a three-year old in tow, so she let his nephew choose a dessert and make funny faces to the cashier.

They walked back to the house, with Anne carefully watching after her nephew, but as soon as the little boy saw his house, he let go of her hand and ran to his father.

Anne was about to yell after him and then her breath caught in her throat.

Standing right next to her brother-in-law was Frederick.


	10. Chapter 9

Frederick's mind went blank upon seeing her. It was Anne Elliot, there was no doubt. And yet, she looked so different.

Then, his mind registered that she had arrived with a kid. And that kid had run towards Charlie and had called him Dad.

No, she could not be his friend's wife. He would have remembered if Charles had mentioned her name.

His knuckles turned white around his crutch. Life sure liked to play games with him.

* * *

After his argument with Anne, Frederick had walked under the rain for what had seemed like hours. He was so angry with her. Angry because she had not fulfilled her promise and had been easily persuaded to change her mind to take a path away from him. He felt left out, abandoned once more.

And she had said she loved him.

At that moment, he could not reconcile his anger and his love for her. So, he took the easiest way, spent the night at his old apartment, gathered all his things while she was out, and left for California.

Jonathan was surprised by his sudden appearance and after a deeper look, he knew that something was not right with his friend. Eventually, Frederick told him what had happened with Anne and his friend had been the first one to point out that he had done wrong.

First of all, maybe unintentionally, he had put pressure on her by staying longer in Boston, and then a lot more pressure when he had asked her to choose him and not her career. Sure, she was not faultless, but he was not either.

Frederick's hurt pride got in the way and made him not accept his guilt nor call her to try to amend things. Years later, he would accept that he had been blind and thoughtless, just as Sophia had said to him, but with more strong words. Knowing his sister, Frederick had asked her not to reach his ex-girlfriend and Sophia had agreed unwillingly. After all, it was his life and his decisions.

Frederick was determined not to dwell more on what had happened so he worked non-stop in his start-up.

* * *

Some time after Frederick's arrival to Los Angeles, he and Jonathan had their first meeting with a potential investor. During a drunken night, when they were thinking about their future, they thought about developing a job hunting social network, a place where people could post notices about jobs they knew were available, and where people could network directly to potential employers.

They had their business plan ready, and with their initial financial resources, they had already a working website with some beta users and with the participation of a small number of local businesses.

Their first pitch did not go so well, but the investor was nice and gave them comments to improve and even asked them to try again.

They took the advice to heart, made the corrections and tried again. And this time, they assured the investment.

* * *

That meeting was the first of many, and when they secured the amount they needed, they finally hired more people and prepared for the launch of their website.

The reception to the site was good and their start-up grew faster than expected. Neither Frederick nor Jonathan expected to be so lucky, but they never took anything for granted and continued to work hard.

Two years later, when their company was valued at thrice its initial value, they accepted an offer from a large company to acquire their website. They did not want to give up "their baby", as they often called it, but they felt they had accomplished what they wanted with it. In consequence, both at the age of 23, Frederick Wentworth and Jonathan Harville earned their first millions.

After a long due celebration, they planned what to do next. Jonathan wanted to work and develop more of his own ideas while Frederick was more interested in investing and supporting other young entrepreneurs.

They reached an agreement and founded WH Tech, a company where both could achieve their objectives. In order to manage their company better, Frederick decided to go back to school, at least part-time, and obtained an MBA from UCLA.

Not all their projects were successful, but the ones that were, did give them more opportunities, more outside support and, of course, more money and fame.

* * *

Jonathan used that fame to his advantage and it was not uncommon to find him with models, actresses and other female celebrities. That lasted for a while until he met Lillian, a fellow computer scientist, and married her almost right away.

Frederick's private life had taken a different path. At first, he had tried to follow his friend's steps and date all the women he could. Years had passed since the breakup, and yet, he wanted her to know that he was happy, successful, and above all, that he was over her.

But soon, he discovered that was not the path from him. It did not make him feel any better; he still thought her every now and then. He still missed that they had had.

Frederick found a refuge in sports, particularly extreme ones. He started doing skydiving, kayaking, snow boarding, among others. In fact, that last one was the reason he was using a crutch. He had broken his left leg three weeks ago, and that was why he was in Boston.

* * *

Sophia had met and fallen for Michael Croft, a very successful lawyer in Chicago. They had met during a school function that Michael had attended with his sister. It turned out that Sophia was his niece's teacher.

They had dated for a couple of years until he proposed and she said yes. Michael was offered a partnership in a large firm based in Boston and they had recently moved to the city.

Upon hearing about his recent accident, because it was not the first one, Sophia had called her brother and demanded that he stayed with her. She did not want him alone, back in his penthouse in California while he recovered.

Frederick had reluctantly agreed since he did not want to return to that city, but his sister did not really give him much choice. And, now because of that, he was in front of Anne.


	11. Chapter 10

"Oh god, oh god, oh god" was the litany inside Anne's head.

She desperately wanted to disappear, to walk away but her feet were glued to the ground.

When Charlie called her name, she gripped the grocery bags, holding for dear life and walked towards the men, with no choice.

* * *

"Anne, this is my friend Frederick Wentworth. Frederick, this is my marvelous sister-in-law, Anne Elliot."

* * *

She was his sister-in-law. HIS sister-in-law. For some unknown reason, Frederick relaxed.

He turned in her direction and their gaze met for a second, green meeting dark blue. Anne's eyes moved to Charlie immediately and before she could say a thing, Frederick spoke.

"We're acquainted."

The surprise in Anne's face did not go unnoticed by him but she did not attempt to say otherwise.

"Oh, you are? Quelled surprise! You'll have to tell me..," Charles started to say but stopped mid-way when he saw his family's car pulling in the driveway.

"Marie, can you come here please?!," he yelled into the house before heading to the car, "they are here!"

Anne and Frederick stood in front of each other, alone.

She was struggling to decide what to do so she did the simplest and civil thing.

"Well… come in, let me help you with the door," Anne offered.

"I can manage on my own. Thanks," he said curtly. Even with the clutches, he moved swiftly and with one hand he pushed the door.

Anne thanked him, walked inside the house and went straight to the kitchen, closing the door behind her.

She dropped the grocery bags on the counter and gripped the edge, breathing deeply.

His cold words, "We're acquainted", kept resonating in her brain. She had been with him for two seconds and was so stressed out. How was she going to make it through lunch? All the memories, good and bad, came to her. The joy and the pain. Especially the pain.

Anne had talked in therapy about what she would do if she ever met him again. She probably had imagined the scenario a thousand times but having him in the next room was too much.

She heard the voices in the living room and knew that her time window to make an excuse and leave was closing.

"Anne, would you help me with... Mon Dieu, what's wrong?," Marie asked when she entered the kitchen and she saw her sister, white as a sheet.

"Nothing but I have to…," Anne started but Marie only heard the first words and spoke over her.

"Good, because we cannot both lose your minds now. Everything has to be perfect for Rose. Can you help me?"

With no alternative, Anne nodded and braced herself to face Frederick Wentworth.

* * *

Lunch was torture for Anne.

First, there was Rose, Charles' mother, who has arrived pretty much to scrutiny her son's life and somehow Anne had ended up included as well. Now, she felt inadequate.

Then there were Lulu and Etta, Charles' sisters, looking like super models. Anne did not know them very well but they always reminded her of the Williams' sisters: strong, athletic, independent and beautiful.

Lulu was a couple of years younger than Charlie and was also working in her father's company. Etta, the younger one, was finishing her degree in Biochemistry in Switzerland. And both of them were clearly interested in knowing more about his brother's friend and bombarded him with questions.

Finally, to make things worst, Frederick had not stopped looking at her.

* * *

Frederick could not stop looking at Anne. His eyes kept moving in her direction on their own volition.

He took in her short hair, barely brushing her shoulders. He used to like her long hair. She had lost the roundness of her face and some of her features were more defined than before. The biggest change was the absence of her glasses. He used to like her glasses.

Gone was the girl she had been in love with. Sitting across from him was a complete different woman. She talked and behaved differently. And still, his heart fluttered every time their eyes met.

Charlie's sisters were trying to engage in conversation with him and he tried not to be rude and pay attention to them, which was hard because he was distracted by how much attention Anne was giving to her nephew and his head went to a place he did not want to go. Imagining if that could have been their future…

He snapped back to reality and joined in the conversation.

* * *

Anne tried to distract herself with Henri, who was sitting next to her, but the talk over lunch was hard to ignore. Especially, all the questions about Frederick's life and career. She learnt that he and Charles had met in Los Angeles at a startup convention and had become friends afterwards.

She was surprised to hear about his snow boarding accident and that Sophia was now living in Boston, which explained his presence in the city.

But Anne knew most of his professional path. She could not deny that she had been curious about his life and had googled him. She knew about the success of his first company and all of the other companies he had invested in.

The articles were often accompanied by photographs of him and of Jonathan and so she knew how he had changed. His blond hair was darker although she imagined the eternal sunshine in California would have made it lighter. He was wearing a dark navy sweater that marked his shoulder and arm muscles. He did not look like the gangly boy he used to be, he looked strong and handsome as ever. Yes, she could admit that he was still handsome.

"Anne? Anne?," someone called.

"Oh, yes, sorry," she replied, waking up her reverie.

"I was just wondering about the young man who was with you at my son's wedding. Are you still together?" Rose asked.

"Ryan?," Anne repeated uncertain.

At Marie and Charles' wedding celebration in New York, Anne had brought a date to everyone's surprise. She had met Ryan at Mt. Sinai during her Master's degree and they had dated for a short period of time and she had invited him to the party.

He was nice and funny, but before Anne could consider a more serious relationship, she discovered that he was more interested in her last name and her money than in her. That had made her wary and more cautious about dating.

"No, we're not," Anne replied and took a sip from her drink.

"Tant pis, you looked good together," Rose stated and Anne shifted uncomfortable on her chair.

"And what about you Frederick? Are you seeing someone special?," Lulu asked, and both Rose and Anne's eyes flew to him.

"Mmm, not at the moment," he started and after a double take, he said, "But I'm ready to settle down."

"Oh, you are?," Lulu added, softly, definitively more interested than before, "And what exactly are you looking for?"

"Well, most of all, I want someone with firmness of character, who's not easily persuaded. Basically, someone who can keep promises."

When she heard that, Anne's breath caught in her throat. She did not want to be there anymore. It was too much.

As she moved her chair backwards, Henri spilled his juice all over her little boy gasped and looked very scared. He mumbled an apology that was not heard over Marie's yells.

"Marie, Marie! It's okay, it's okay," Anne said loudly, taking a crying Henri in her arms and went upstairs to his room. She was comforting her nephew when Charlie caught up with them.

"Anne, I'm sorry about what happened. You should check Marie's closet and change your clothes."

"Don't worry, Charlie, it's fine. I do have some clothes in my trunk", she said and moved to the door.

"Please let me, I'll fetch them," he offered and she accepted.

She heard some loud voices coming from the dining room and was actually happy not to be down there. The incident had actually freed her lunch, the questions and the flirting. At least for some time.

Anne changed into her yoga leggings and reluctantly returned to the dining room.

* * *

Frederick listened carefully to the questions that were directed to Anne. He could not deny that he had looked her up in the internet and had found the papers she had published during her PhD and a couple of pictures with her family at the Cancer gala.

He was also curious about what had made her changed careers and specialized in genetic counseling. She had been so adamant about studying cancer. One could even say that they have broke up because of that.

But when he heard about Ryan, he decided to pay more attention to Lulu and play along. He was not jealous, he could not be. It was not as if he had expected her to remain single. And yet…

The minute he said he was looking for someone who would keep her promises, he regretted his words. He wished he could apologize to Anne but he did not have the opportunity to do it. As soon as she returned downstairs, Etta started asking her questions about her PhD and the research she had done.

Lulu was still demanding his attention and he did not want to be rude so he continued to respond to her. Receiving a call from Sophia was a lifesaver and gave him an excuse to leave early.

He made his farewells and before he left, Charlie made him promise that they would get together again and that he would tell him how he knew Anne. Somehow his friend had forgotten to ask during lunch, but not completely.

On the way home, Frederick kept thinking about Anne and how soon he would see her. And how he would feel about it.

* * *

As soon as he left, Anne felt better, lighter, as if she could finally breathe.

Charlie's family was staying in Marie's house, so Anne helped clean up and then went home.

But she could only think of Frederick. Given that he was friend with her brother-in-law, the chances of meeting again were very high, and she was not sure if she could handle that.


	12. Chapter 11

A week after that awkward encounter with Frederick, Anne received a phone called from her little sister.

"I cannot believe you didn't tell me that you knew Frederick Wentworth," Marie almost yelled over the phone.

Anne had not forgotten that Frederick had admitted to know her and that Charles had heard, but remained silent.

"I mean, I was trying to sell you out to him, and then Charles mentioned that you were acquainted and Wentworth just replied that you two had met in college."

"Yes, we met during that time," Anne replied a little shaky, "did he say something else?"

"Only that he used to work at a coffee shop and you went there frequently. Why? Is there something more?"

Mary did have some inquisitive moments, just not very often.

"No, no, that's all," Anne replied.

Mary did not need to know what had actually happened. It was all in the past and Anne did not want to relive it.

"He did say that you were so altered he should not have known you again," Marie suddenly added.

Anne was stunned by those words and she could not respond.

"In any case, it seems that Lu has already claimed him for herself, so..."

Mary continued speaking but Anne stopped listening at all.

She had changed, physically and emotionally but not to the point that Frederick would not recognize her, she thought.

She had lost weight after his departure because she could not eat. She then began exercising and had not gained that weight again. Anne had cut her hair and did not let it grow much and she had surgery to correct her myopia as she had grown tired of wearing glasses.

"Anne! Hello? Are you there?," Marie yelled through the phone and Anne jumped on her seat.

"Yes. Sorry."

"Mon Dieu! I was telling you about dinner on Friday. Everybody is coming over so I need you here."

"Marie, I don't know…"

"Anne, you have a 9 to 5 job. You don't have excuses not to come to dinner."

"I'll do my best but I can't promise anything," Anne replied.

"Anne!"

"I'm sorry Marie, but I have to go. I'll call you later, okay?"

Anne only heard a groan from her sister and then hung up. She was at work and had an appointment. She really did not want to go to that dinner and deal with Frederick. Marie would be mad if she was not there but she was not willing to feel like crap again.

* * *

Friday arrived and Anne called Marie to tell her that she was not able to make it to dinner. Her week had been very busy and stressful as she had delivered some bad news to patients.

As predicted, Marie was not happy about it but Anne did not particularly cared. She was tired and she was not going to get any peace at her sister's house. So, she bought dinner on her way home and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

* * *

The following Monday, Anne was walking as fast as possible to the hospital's cafeteria to get some lunch.

The office secretary had booked her two appointments back to back, leaving her almost with no time to eat until the end of the day. The secretary had apologized profusely and had offered to get her food but Anne declined. At least, she would have a chance to leave her office and get some air.

Anne arrived at the cafeteria and was glad to see no line. She quickly grabbed a bowl of mac & cheese and a salad. She took the tray to the cashier station and almost dropped it when her eyes met Frederick's. How had she not seen him? He was very hard to miss.

Frederick nodded, acknowledging that he had seen her, and too late to turn back, Anne walked the short distance between them and put the tray on the counter.

"Hello."

"Hello."

His face was so impassive, making Anne more nervous and uncomfortable.

"How are you?," she finally asked.

"Fine, thank you. And you?," he replied.

"I'm fine. How is your leg?"

"It's getting better."

Anne smiled shyly and was surprised when he smiled too.

Frederick paid for his coffee, took his crutch and did not walk away as if he was waiting for her. Anne paid and slowly walked to the closest empty table and he followed her.

"Do you mind?," Frederick asked.

"No, of course not," Anne replied and they sat together.

There was an awkward pause and a thousand thoughts filled Anne's head. He had not spoken to her at all at Marie's and now he was sitting with her.

"So, are you here to see the orthopedist?," she asked.

"Sorry. What?," he said.

"An orthopedist? I see that you're only using one crutch."

"Yeah. Right. As I said, it's getting better."

"That's good."

There was another unpleasant pause.

"I see that you still love Mac'n Cheese," he suddenly said.

"Yes, I do," Anne replied with the spoon in her hand.

"Not very healthy, but at least you got a salad," Frederick pointed out.

"Yeah…," she was now too embarrassed to eat in front of him.

"We thought we'd see you at dinner last week."

Anne looked at him, confused.

"Charlie invited Sophia and her husband. She was surprised to learn that you two were related," Frederick explained.

"How has she been? Sophia?," Anne asked.

"Pretty well. Happy. Excited to back in the New England."

"Would you tell her I say hi," Anne said.

"I will."

Anne's phone buzzed and she suddenly remembered that she had to return to her office.

"I have to go, I have a patient," she said and stood up.

"Of course. Have a nice day," Frederick replied.

"Thank you. You too."

She turned on her heel, ready to leave when he called her name. It was the first time he had used her name.

"Yes?"

"Why don't you wear glasses anymore?," Frederick asked.

That was a random question, she thought.

"I… mmm… I had surgery," Anne responded.

"Ohh."

"I really have to go. Good luck with your leg."

"Goodbye, Anne."

* * *

Anne ate all her lunch in about 5 minutes, just before her patient arrived. She tried to forget that chance meeting yet she was not very successful.

She understood why he was in hospital but he was in the opposite wing to the Orthopedics department. What was he doing there? Did he really, really care why she no longer needed glasses and came looking for her?

"I'm definitely imagining things," Anne said to herself, "it was just a coincidence."

She hated that he had such an effect on her, after all the time they had not seen each other, when all their feelings were gone.

At the end of the day, she was still thinking about him, and that made her really mad.

* * *

"God, why did I have to ask her to that?," Frederick yelled at himself, "that was so stupid."

He was in Sophia's guest room, resting his broken leg and checking some things for work, but he had not really stopped thinking about Anne.

He knew that she worked at that hospital and that the chance of seeing her was high, yet Frederick was still taken aback when he saw her at the cafeteria.

Anne looked very professional, the opposite to how she had looked at Marie and Charles' house. She was wearing a fitted black sweater, a grey skirt and high boots. She looked very pretty too.

He thought he would have an opportunity to apologize to her after his comment during that first lunch, and he had blown that chance just to ask her about her glasses.

It bothered him that her presence made him act like a different person. That was probably why he had accepted and somehow encouraged Lu's flirting. He felt like he had to show her that he had moved on, even though she probably had done that as well.

Sophia remembered well the one time she had met Anne and remembered even better how her brother had felt about her, and had been curious to see her again. But since Anne had missed dinner, Sophia discovered instead the nascent "relationship" between Frederick and his friend's sister.

Lu was younger that Frederick, and definitely louder, but she was smart, driven and funny and Sophia was just glad to see her brother happy.

Frederick also admired those traits in Lu and made him want to spend more time with her. He wanted to find out if she could be the one for him and make him stop thinking about... her.

* * *

Two weeks later, Frederick and Anne found themselves together again. Rose and Etta were going back to Switzerland and Charles had organized a farewell lunch.

Anne could not say no to Marie and risk an earful, and Frederick had promised Lu he would go with her. They greeted each other and then stayed as far as possible from each other.

Since the restaurant was close to the Boston Commons, the group decided to take a walk around the park. The familiarity between Frederick and Lu was pretty much evident to everybody so Anne stayed behind with Henri.

Despite the scenery, Anne could hardly take her eyes from the couple. They looked good together, she thought. Marie had told her that they had been spending a lot of time together and that her husband was very happy with that development.

Anne was wondering if he should walk with a crutch in the slippery and cold floor but he seemed to be doing just right. He had Lu to lean in to.

She was just thinking about how much she missed having that intimacy that, when Henri pulled her hand towards the lake, she tripped and fell on the grass.

"Anne!," she heard Lu yell.

Before she could answer, she was suddenly on her feet, being held by Frederick. Somehow, he had managed to lift her up without falling himself.

"Are you hurt?," he asked Anne.

"No, no, I'm fine," she quickly replied and looked up to him. His face, as always, was unreadable to her.

"Oh, Anne! Let me see your hands, I think you scraped them," Lu said and Frederick immediately let her go. He took his crutch from the floor and moved away.

The rest of the group, having heard Lu's screams, gathered around Anne to check on her. Her left hand had a small injury in the palm and Marie cleaned it up with the stuff she carried for Henri.

Charlie decided they should head to the restaurant to avoid future accidents and walked along side Anne and apologized for Henri.

Anne barely acknowledged his apology because her brain was still reeling about the fact that Frederick's touch had burned her. Just like it used to.

But also, she could not erase from her head the kiss Frederick had given Lu after she had tended to her.


	13. Chapter 12

If something good came out of that lunch, it was that Anne could finally name what she felt towards Frederick: anger.

Anger because he made her feel like a teenager again. Anger because his departure had wounded her deeply and that was why she could not really trust men. Anger because she did not have any closure and he seemed perfectly fine to move on.

She could not possibly be still in love with him. Their brief interactions, if anything, had demonstrated that he had changed so much and she did not longer know him.

Anne thought about reaching her therapist again, but she knew what she was going to say. She needed closure and Frederick could give her that. Anne would have to talk to him and she did not want to do that.

Her only option was to keep her distance from Marie and any of her invitations that could put her near Frederick and Lu. She did not need to be a witness of a parade of their love.

She also sought refuge in her work, yoga and decided to do something new. She tried to make new friends and spend more time with her co-workers. She was determined not to feel lonely anymore.

Her plan worked and she started to feel better, less angry and calmer.

* * *

It was the beginning of May and the month when Helena had passed away. It was a hard day for the Elliots, whom, except for Anne, tended not to show any emotion.

At first, Marie had told Anne that she wanted to go with her to New York and to the cemetery. But once the time had come, she told her sister that she could not leave Boston and so Anne travelled alone.

Walter had seemed a little bit excited to see his daughter but much less to visit Helena's grave.

"I can't take it this year," he had said and refused to accompany his daughter.

Lis had been the only one who went with Anne. On their ride to the cemetery, Lis asked her sister about her life and work and that surprised Anne.

She hesitated for one second to tell her about Frederick but there was no point in that. Her sister had shown little to none interest in him when they were actually together.

"Marie told me that you stopped 'hanging out' with her. Her words, not mine," Lis said.

"Mmm, yeah. I had been very busy."

"With other people?," Lis asked.

"Actually, yes. And with work."

"Right. How is that going?"

"It's going fine. And how you've been, Elisabeth?"

"Pretty well, in fact. You'll be happy to know that I finally broke up with Abel."

Anne had met Abel exactly two times and she indeed did not have the best opinion of him. He was not very polite and Anne could not see what her sister had seen in him. He was so different from the guys Lis used to date.

"I'm glad, to tell you the truth. You deserve better."

"I know."

Lis kept talking and only stopped when they reached their destination. They walked in silence to Helena's grave and Anne was very surprised to see a single yellow rose on the tomb. Walter had been there after all. They stayed there for a couple of minutes, arranged their flowers and said good-bye.

Anne spent some days with her family and ended up having a good visit.

* * *

Anne took advantage of her stay in New York and met Mae.

Her friend had taken a whole year off because of her mother's sickness and had tended to her family. Once her mother recovered, she pushed Mae to go back to school and finish her degree.

After a struggle to find a proper school and get financial support again, Mae was able to finish her undergraduate education, went to med school and became a doctor.

Mae was still in debt and had to work two jobs at an emergency room and in a free clinic. Despite the work load, Mae was very happy and felt accomplished.

"So, what's new with you, Elliot? Still loving Boston?," Mae immediately asked when she joined her friend at a restaurant.

"Yes, still," Anne replied, smiling. Mae was not a big fan of that city.

"Good. So?," Mae pried.

"Well… I don't have a lot of news. Except that I saw Frederick."

And Mae spat her tea.

"What?! Frederick Wentworth! And you're just telling me! I can't believe it!"

"There isn't much to say. Really."

"I don't believe you. But tell me everything and don't spare any details."

Anne proceeded to recount how Frederick had crossed her path again, their quick exchanges and that he was now dating her brother-in-law's sister.

"Wow! And the one time you were alone, he asked you about your glasses."

"Yeah."

"That's weird... and interesting."

"Interesting? How?"

"Well, we both know that he loved your glasses and he was probably surprised to see them gone."

Mae's first statement was true, Anne knew it. Frederick had told her that more than once. But she was not very sure about the last one.

"I think he was just surprised to see me again," Anne sighed.

"I bet. It is a small world."

"Yes, it is."

"Well, I'm pretty sure you know what I'm going to say, but you'll reach out to him when you're ready to do so."

"Yeah. Whenever that happens," Anne said.

"Well, let's change topics. I have this patient and maybe you can help me," Mae finished.

Anne welcomed the distraction and listened to her friend's story. Despite the years with no communication, their friendship had remained and Anne was happy to confide in her friend.

* * *

In New York, Anne took a plane to Los Angeles to attend a genetics conference and present some of her cases in a counselor's panel.

The first day of the conference, during registration, she encountered her colleagues from Brigham's and then went to different talks together. Anne loved being back in the scientific environment and learnt new things.

When they went out the convention center to get lunch, they walked by a group of medical doctors (they were very obvious to spot), and Anne noticed the intense stare of one of them on her. g2She dared to look back at him, noted his blue eyes and how the blood rose to his face. He nodded at her and turned to his colleagues.

Anne saw him again tow days later, during her panel. He was sitting in the middle of the room and seemed to be listening very attentively. The light kept shining on his light brown hair as he nodded every time she spoke and took notes.

After the presentation, she saw him still in the room as if he was waiting for her. There were other people asking her questions, keeping her busy and she missed when he left the room.

The conference kept her busy and she did not think of that mysterious man. She had also forgot about Frederick so when she saw him at a restaurant was utterly unexpected.

* * *

Jonathan had asked his partner to go to LA to discuss some urgent business matters and meet with a couple of people who wanted their investment.

Lu had offered to accompany him since he was still using clutches but Frederick said it was not necessary. He was only going to stay for few days and would return to Boston after that.

They had been spending a lot of time together for the last month and he was enjoying getting to know her more. However, sometimes, he would get the feeling that she was trying too hard. Too hard to be liked by him, to be together.

Rose, in particular, was very conservative and had been curious about the direction of their relationship. She had asked Frederick herself about his intentions with her daughter before she went away to Switzerland.

Frederick had answered that he really liked Lu and appreciated the strong woman that she was, but that they were still getting to know each other. Rose had not been very convinced with that answer but said nothing else. Lu had apologized afterwards for her mother's intrusion and Frederick had not taken offense. He knew that Rose was looking after her daughter but was afraid that he was expected to somehow formalize their relationship.

* * *

When Marie had mentioned that Anne would be in Los Angeles for a conference, Frederick did think about running into her again. But it was a big city, so what were the chances?

And yet, there she was.

He was having dinner with Jonathan, his wife Lillian and Rosaura Sanchez, their CFO. She had been one of the first hires of their company and she had contributed a lot to the company's successes.

Rosaura was a petit woman, born in Mexico and often underestimated. She had attended Princeton thanks to a very substantial scholarship and then had moved to California to do her MBA. She had responded to WH-Tech job posts and the rest was history.

Jonathan was in the middle of telling a funny story about his newborn when, suddenly, there was a lot of noise in the restaurant. The four of them turned in the direction of the voices and saw the group of people that had just arrived.

"Frederick... Is that Anne?," Jonathan murmured.

"Yes, she is," his friend answered, as his eyes locked with Ann's.

One moment she had been laughing with her friends and the next, she was staring at him, perplexed.

Frederick was not close enough to see the hesitation in Anne's face. He just saw when she said something to her friends and walked to their table.

"Is that her?," Lillian asked her husband discreetly and Jonathan just nodded. The history of Frederick and Anne was known to her.

"Anne, hello," Frederick said as he stood up to greet her.

"Good evening," she answered, addressing everybody in the table.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Hello Anne, long time, no see," Jonathan suddenly said and moved to shake her hand and Anne chuckled.

"Yes, Jonathan, how have you been?"

"Great indeed. This is my wife, Lillian."

Anne smiled and shook the hand of the woman sitting next to Jonathan.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Anne Elliot."

"And this is Rosaura, our right hand in the company," Jonathan added and Anne introduced herself again.

Frederick had not said anything because he was busy observing Anne. He had not seen her since Rose's farewell lunch. That time, she had looked shaken and distracted and now, she commanded the situation, she looked so sure of herself. And he liked that.

"What brings you to LA?," Rosaura asked Anne and Frederick returned to the conversation.

"A genetics conference. Today was the last day and my colleagues and I came here to celebrate."

"Good choice. The food is delicious," Lillian interjected.

Anne smiled and was about to say something when she heard her name. Her table was ready and her friends ready to sit down.

"Oh, I should join them," she said, "Enjoy the rest of your evening."

She said her goodbyes and walked to her table. She was happy with herself about how the encounter had gone and was ready to put it behind. It had been a huge surprise to see Jonathan, and his wife, and his coworker and she was grateful that their conversation had not been longer. That would have been more awkward.

* * *

Half an hour later, Anne was having a good time, enjoying her meal and the conversation, when suddenly a fellow counselor nudged her.

"I think someone wants to talk with you," she said to Anne. Anne turned back and saw Frederick with his clutch making his way towards her table. Anne excused herself and went to meet him.

"Frederick, can I help you?" It was the first time that she had addressed him by his name and it felt weird.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Anne, but I'd like to talk to you. Would you be willing to meet me tomorrow?"

Wheels started to turn in her head and it took her a moment to answer. She had to think whether or not she was ready to face him alone.

"Okay."

"Thank you. Tell me where I can see you and I'll be there."

"I'll be in the convention center," Anne replied.

"Will you be free around 2?," he asked.

"Yes, I think so."

"Perfect, I'll see you there. Thank you again. Have a nice dinner," he said and walked away.


	14. Chapter 13

_And the hardest part_  
 _Was letting go, not taking part_  
 _Was the hardest part_

 _And the hardest part_  
 _Was letting go, not taking part_  
 _You really broke my heart_

 _The hardest part - Coldplay_

* * *

People say that curiosity killed the cat but what they don't say is that it was the stress of not knowing what killed the animal.

As hard as she tried, Anne could not help feeling nervous about that meeting with Frederick.

What did he want to talk about? Something regarding Marie and Charles? About his relationship with Lu? She definitely did not want to know about that. And the most fearful option for her was that he wanted to talk about them.

Anne was distracted during the last sessions of the conference and kept looking at her watch.

Five minutes before two, Anne nervously walked to the south entrance of the convention center, where she had agreed to meet Frederick and was surprised to see that he was already there.

"Hey," he greeted her.

"Hello," she replied.

"How was the conference?," he casually asked.

"It was fine, nothing particularly exciting today," Anne shrugged, trying not to seem nervous.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"It's okay. How is your leg?"

"It's better actually. Just two more weeks in a cast and then I'll get a boot."

"Good news, I guess."

"Yeah, right," he answered, followed by an awkward pause.

"Can we walk around a little bit? I don't want to talk here," Frederick suddenly suggested.

"Sure, let's go," Anne replied and walked with him to the nearest bench outside the convention center.

After another weird silence, Anne was about to say something when she heard Frederick exhale loudly.

"Oh god, this is harder that I thought. But here it goes."

Anne stared at him, bracing for whatever he was going to say.

"I want to apologize, Anne. I have been rude to you, ever since I came back to Boston. When we met at your sister's, I have made you uncomfortable with my comments and my behavior. I was being very immature and I apologize for that."

Anne definitely did not expect that.

Before she could say anything, he spoke again.

"Hell, no, Anne. You deserve more from me than this. I have to apologize for everything that happened eight years ago. For leaving like I did and breaking what we had."

When she heard that, Anne stopped breathing.

"I was a complete and utter idiot and I am really sorry. I don't want to make excuses for myself but I was young, stupid and very angry. I felt like you were abandoning me, I felt exactly like when my parents died and I could not bear it. Anger got the best of me and I just left and I should not have done that. Jonathan and Sophia were the first to tell me that I had done wrong but I didn't see it until much later. By then, you were long gone and I lacked the courage to look for you. I was ashamed and afraid."

He turned to her and held her gaze. His eyes were red and Anne had a flash black to that raining afternoon and her heart felt heavy.

"I was afraid of what you thought of me and what you might say to me. I didn't want to know that you hated me. I am so sorry, Anne. I know it's too much to ask but do you think you can ever forgive me?," Frederick finished.

Anne opened her mouth and closed it. There was so much to process and her mind was a mess.

"I don't know," she said.

* * *

Gathering courage, Anne finally spoke again.

"I am sorry that you felt abandoned but that's ultimately what you did to me. You dismissed my trials to mend things. Did your roommates tell you that I came looking for you? I was desperate to find you and you deliberately avoided me. My life fell apart and I had to pick up the pieces."

Angry tears ran down her cheeks. She had not imagined saying those things out aloud and to his face. And she was not done.

"To be fair, what happened was also a consequence of my actions. I should have talked to you about how I felt. I should have trusted you. I took a decision that impacted both our lives and I didn't consult it with you."

"Yes, you did. I wish you had talked to me. Why didn't you?," Frederick asked, "I was supposed to be your person, and yet you decided to follow somebody else's advice when we had an agreement about our future. You also left me."

"But you have to understand. At that time, I did not see a guarantee that we'd make it in California. What if I resented you for giving up my fellowship?"

"There's no guarantee about anything in life, Anne! We could not know what was going to happen. We could have been happy."

"Yes, maybe."

"Maybe we would have ended this same way," Frederick finished.

Time passed and they did not dare to speak or look at each other. Anne was trying to calm down but his presence affected her. Frederick was trying to find the words to make things better, unsuccessfully.

"I have to go," Anne suddenly said.

"Anne, I don't want to leave things this way," Frederick pled.

"Me neither, but I cannot deal with this now. I'm sorry," she finished and walked away.


	15. Chapter 14

_Oh no I see_

 _A spider web it's tangled up with me_

 _And I lost my head_

 _And thought of all the stupid things I said_

 _And I never meant to cause you trouble_

 _And I never meant to do you wrong_

 _And ah well if I ever caused you trouble_

 _Oh no I never meant to do you harm_

 _Trouble - Coldplay_

* * *

Anne had so desperately wanted an apology from Frederick but now that she had gotten her desire, she did not know what to do. It reminded her how hurt she was.

Ever since she had returned to Boston, she buried herself with work. New cases continued to arrive at the hospital and she did her best to help people. However, she did not want to go back to her self-imposed reclusion and continue to spend time with her friends and colleagues.

Spending time with Marie was difficult because the chance of encounter Frederick were very high and she was not yet ready. If Frederick really wanted her forgiveness, then it would take time and space.

With her new approach to social activities, Anne finally accepted going to blind dates set up by friends. They were not bad, but nothing special had happened during them.

And then, she met someone in an unexpected way.

* * *

Anne was taking a break in her office the next day when her assistant rang her.

"Dr. Elliot. Dr. Roberts from the Pediatrics department would like to talk to you. Are you available?"

Anne did not know any Dr. Roberts, but since her office worked with that department she agreed to receive him.

When the door opened, she was immediately taken aback by the man standing in front of her. She had seen him before.

"Dr. Elliot, nice to finally meet you," he said happily, "I hope I'm not intruding."

"No, not at all. But have we met before?," Anne asked.

"Well, yes. Kind of."

Anne frowned, confused, and the stranger smiled.

"Please, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Dr. Elliot Roberts," the man said and shook her hand.

"Elliot?," she said as they sat down.

"Funny coincidence, don't you think?," Elliot replied.

"Sorry, where did we meet?," she insisted. His blue eyes were so clear and so familiar but she could not recall where she had seen them.

"At Los Angeles. During the genetics conference."

"Of course! I remember you now," she exclaimed and Elliot beamed.

"Oh, I'm glad you do. I was at your talk during the conference and I thought it was very interesting, insightful."

"Thank you very much."

"I'm a pediatric surgeon," Elliot continued, "I recently moved from Washington and I'm just starting to treat here patients with genetic disorders. I wanted to ask you some questions after your talk but I did not have the chance."

"I'm sorry about that, it was busier than I expected. If you still have questions, I'll be happy to answer them."

"That's great. Do you have time now?," Elliot asked.

"Actually, yes," Anne responded and offered him coffee.

They chatted for several minutes and Anne answered all his questions. To his credit, his questions were interesting and well thought.

"It's so nice to have someone with your knowledge. You have both an understanding of the science and of the counsel," Elliot finally said.

"I hope I was able to answer all your questions," Anne replied.

"Yes, you definitively did," Elliot rose from his chair and shook Anne's hand again, "thank you so much for your time."

"You're welcome. It was great chatting with you," Anne admitted.

"Well, in that case, if I may be so bold, maybe we can do this again, sometime soon," he suggested.

"Yes, of course," Anne sincerely said.

"Well, in that case, I'll be in touch," Elliot said and give her a bright smile.

Five minutes after he had left, Anne realized she was still smiling and her blush had not gone away.

* * *

Elliot, true to his word, stopped by her office and left a note, inviting Anne for coffee.

* * *

It was three weeks after her first 'date' with Anne and she was feeling very happy with this new development. She really enjoyed spending time with him. He was smart and witty, and very attentive to her. She was having a good time.

Anne had just left her yoga class, very relaxed and as the summer had just began, the weather was nice so she decided to take a long walk by the Charles.

Without realizing it, her steps took her nearby the dock where Frederick had taken her on their first date and she stopped her tracks.

Anne had kept her distance once again and had only heard from him through Marie. Apparently, things were a little rocky between him and Lu. Something had happened and Lu's attitude had changed a lot. She did not longer seem happy, was reserved and quiet and did not go out with Frederick as much as before. Lu blamed work and refused to explain more to her family.

Anne distracted herself by looking at the small boats in the water when she felt a presence next to her and turned to find Frederick there.

"Hello," he said with an unusual warm tone.

"Oh hi," she replied, very surprised to run into him like that. He was dressed very casual, just right for the warm weather and, as the last time they had spoke, his healing leg was now in a boot.

She felt very conscious about her state, with her sweaty yoga clothes and a messy bun. She squared her shoulders and hoped for the best.

"How have you been?," he asked.

"Great," Anne replied, noticing the dark circles under his eyes.

"I'm glad," Frederick finished and turned his eyes to the water. He was a little nervous, to say the truth. He had not expected to meet her like that in the city. It was clear that she had been avoiding him since their "big" talk in Los Angeles and he understood why.

Anne cleared her throat, and fearing that she might leave before they could talk, Frederick spoke.

"I was on my way to Prudential Center… It's funny to find you here. I thought I may not see you again."

"Yeah, well…," Anne sighed. How could she tell him that she was not ready to face him and that she had been distracted with Elliot?

"It's okay, Anne. You don't have to explain yourself," he said, "our last conversation did not end very well."

"Yes," she acknowledged and looked away. It was obvious that she was not comfortable and Frederick did not want to impose his presence on her. It seemed better if he left.

"I don't want to bother you. Good-bye," he stated and turn to leave.

In a split second, she took the decision of once and for all clearing things between them. She reached out and stopped him.

"Frederick, please wait."

"We don't have to talk about that now if you don't want to," he said.

"No, please, I need to."

"Okay," he nodded and stood in his place, giving all his attention to her.

"I'm sorry I left so abruptly last time but it was too much to process for me and I needed to gather my thoughts," Anne said quietly, "I accept your apology, Frederick. If you accept mine."

"Excuse me?," he answered, startled.

"What happened was a consequence of my acts, I did wrong too. I was very confused back then and I did not want a confrontation with you," Anne continued and almost laughed at the irony of things.

"I guess, at the end, I thought it would be better to listen to someone with more experience, like Dr. Russell," she added.

"And you listened to her as she was the closest thing to a mother figure to you," Frederick stated.

"Yes, I did," she confirmed, "and we both know what happened. I just wished we had fought harder and tried to make things work. Maybe we might not have ended up with these regrets."

"I wished that too," Frederick confessed.

They both stayed silent, reflecting on their words.

"So… are we okay?," he finally asked, "I mean, given the circumstances..."

"Yes. I forgive you, as long as you forgive me too."

"Of course I do, Anne," he said sincerely.

She smiled and he repeated the gesture.

"I'm glad we finally finished this conversation," Frederick added.

"Yes, me too," Anne responded, feeling her heart lighter.

Finally, after a long time, Frederick was at peace with her and himself. He had been in agony for the last month, even years, not knowing if Anne was ever going to forgive him.

He had tried to move on with his life and with Lu, but it had been very hard. Especially since Lu had changed towards him and he did not know why.

"Anne, before you go," he said, "this might be a little too soon, but Sophia is organizing a small party for my birthday and you are welcome to attend."

She looked up, surprised by his invitation. Their birthdays were on the same day and she had not imaged spending that day with him.

Frederick saw the hesitation in her face and tried to lighten the moment.

"I know it's like a month away, but, please, don't feel obligated to accept. It's totally fine if you don't want to attend."

"I'll think about it she answered, "Thank you for the invitation."

"No, thank you Anne. For everything," he emphasized. Frederick bowed to her and walked away.

Anne stayed longer in the bridge, reflecting on the fact that her story with Frederick had at last found closure.


End file.
